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Troublesome Trucks (episode)
Britt Allcroft & David Mitton |director=David Mitton |producer= David Mitton Robert D. Cardona |narrator= Ringo Starr George Carlin |series=Series 1 |series_no=1.09 |number=9 |sts_episode= * Show and Yell * The Mayor Runs for Re-election |released= * 6th November 1984 * 16th April 1987 * 26th February 1989 * 1st November 1990 * 9th June 1993 * 3rd March 1998 * 5th January 2008 |previous=James and the Coaches/James Learns a Lesson |next=James and the Express/A Proud Day for James }} Troublesome Trucks, retitled Foolish Freight Cars in American releases, is the ninth episode of the first series. Plot It has been several days since James damaged one of his coaches, and since then the Fat Controller has shut him up in the shed as a punishment for all the trouble he had caused. Having been left alone and not allowed out to push coaches or trucks, James begins to cry and thinks he will have to stay in the shed indefinitely and no one will see his red paint again. However, the Fat Controller finally returns and tells James that he hopes that he will be a better engine as he has caused a lot of embarrassment for the railway. James sincerely apologises and promises to behave. The Fat Controller accepts his apology and assigns him to pull some trucks, for which James cannot be happier to be let out and eagerly goes to work. At the station, Thomas brings James his trucks and teases him about bootlaces before leaving. James angrily couples himself to the troublesome trucks, who tease him for his red paint. James just ignores them and sets off; however, the trucks refuse to go and attempt to hold back. James does not allow them to and drags them out of the station. As the journey continues, the trucks try everything they can to get James to give up, but it is no use as James is determined to prove himself a better engine. Finally the train reaches Gordon's Hill and James tries his hardest to run up it as fast as he can which is initially tricky, but with a sudden jerk it gets easier and James makes it up the hill, but his driver stops him and points out that the brake van and the last four trucks have broken their coupling and run back down the hill. Fortunately, the guard manages to bring them to a stop at the bottom, and gets out to warn approaching engines. James reverses down the hill to retrieve the trucks, where Edward has stopped due to the blockage. He offers to help, but James politely declines, determined to do it himself. Edward obliges and encourages James as he makes his way up the hill. Pulling with every ounce of his strength, James finally makes it to the top of the hill and easily continues on to the station where Edward later arrives with the Fat Controller. James is very worried, thinking the Fat Controller will be angry at again him. This time, however, the Fat Controller is happy with James, having been aboard Edward's train and seeing everything. Since James made the most troublesome trucks on the line behave, the Fat Controller allows him to keep his red paint. Characters * Thomas * Edward * James * Troublesome Trucks * Sir Topham Hatt * Gordon * Jeremiah Jobling Locations * Tidmouth Sheds * Knapford * Knapford Bus Yard * The Woodland Runby * Gordon's Hill * Maron * Maron Signals Runby Trivia * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, James the Red Engine. * Stock footage from Thomas and the Trucks is used. * In George Carlin's narration on Thomas and His Friends Help Out, the line "After that performance, you deserve to keep your red coat," is cut. The uncut scene was added on Thomas and Friends - Vol. 1, but only for a limited time. It is now available on Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 1. * In the restored version, an extended close-up shot of James at Maron is used. * This episode is the first instance in the series in which an engine, in this case, James, is seen crying. * Starting with this episode, any episode featuring Edward up to the seventh series would end with his second nameboard in Japan. Goofs * When the Fat Controller first speaks to James, his head is turned away from him. * Thomas' eyes are wonky in the opening scene. * James' tender is derailed while Thomas arranges his train. Also, the siding that James is on has no buffers. * When Thomas says "Have you got some bootlaces ready?" there is blu-tak under his lantern. Knapford is also missing in that scene. * When Thomas puffs off, James' eyes briefly jitter. They are also wonky. * When James puffs out of the yard, the truck at the front loses its face and regains it as James pulls the trucks up Gordon's Hill the first time. Also, the train next to James on a siding has a brake van in the middle of it. * When Thomas puffs away laughing, all the trucks are coupled to each other. But when James backs onto the trucks, one at the front is uncoupled. * When the trucks get to the bottom of Gordon's Hill, a truck disappears. It, however, reappears in the last shot of James pulling the trucks. * When James goes up Gordon's Hill the second time, a wire pulls him up. * James' puffing noise is not in sync with his speed. * When the narrator says the line "and sometimes their axles would run hot," a crew member's shadow is seen in the bottom left corner of the screen. * When Edward is first shown at the bottom of Gordon's Hill, he has no train. When James backs down and couples to the lost trucks, look carefully and you can see Edward has at least one truck behind him. * In the close-up of James at Maron, the water tower next to him disappears. * In the last close-up of James going up Gordon's Hill, his driving wheels are not moving and when they start to move, they are going backwards. * When James couples up to his train, he is outside the station, but when he starts moving off, he is inside it. * When Edward talks to James at Maron, his tender is not seated properly on the chassis. In Other Languages Merchandise Books Home Media Releases * Thomas and Friends Volume 9 }} de:Die Güterwagen machen Ärger es:Los Vagones de Carga Tontos he:קרונות טורדניים (פרק) ja:やっかいなかしゃたち pl:Kłopotliwe Wagony ru:Заговор в товарном составе Category:Series 1 episodes Category:Episodes Category:Railway Series adaptations